Cfp3157's Favorite Fives of Film: Leonardo DiCaprio Performances
In the 1990's, Leonardo DiCaprio was a teen heartthrob and sex symbol. But by the 2000's DiCaprio was a legend. While he may not be the King of the World in cinema as much now, Leo's going to remain one of Hollywood's biggest names in cinema for a long time. So, for my first episode, I'm telling you my favorite five Leonardo DiCaprio performances. Number Five: Danny Archer In his Oscar-nominated lead role in Blood Diamond, DiCaprio shows us a more brutal and apathetic side to his acting ability. With his iconic flair of inner struggle as the greedy Rhodesian mercenary, DiCaprio shows two things above all else; he can do action just as well as a thriller or romance, and his mastery of accents. Although having no experience listening myself, considering the diversity between traditional languages of the locals and the English settlers that are still a mainstay to this day, DiCaprio seems to speak with the South African dialect as though it was his native tongue. This hard work and dedication in Blood Diamond got Leo several accolades, including an Oscar nod for Best Leading Actor. Number Four: Billy Costigan Jr. In Martin Scorcese's first Oscar win of his illustrious career, The Departed won its trophy in large part to DiCaprio's role as the undercover trooper in Frank Costello's mob. A swearing, volatile cop working as a rat in the Irish mafia, DiCaprio provides an entertaining view as the quintessential good cop, incorruptible. Alongside one of the most unexpected and unwanted deaths in film, DiCaprio proved he could hold his own alongside both Matt Damon and the legendary Jack Nicholson. He's just one of many in this all-star cast, but his performance shines through his impressive South Boston accent, his violent explosions, and the intensity he brings as a rat in one of Boston's most infamous crime syndicates. Number Theee: Jordan Belfort Witty, vulgar,and a helluva lot of fun, The Wolf of Wall Street shows DiCaprio in one of his most fun and careless roles yet. An Oscar-nomination worthy performance, the Wall Street crook behind the Oakland Incident brings the same illegal tomfoolery that DiCaprio's earlier Catch Me If You Can performance brought on a much more mature level. Hate Belfort for his irresponsible behavior, or love him for his carefree attitude, but no matter what you applauded when DiCaprio's satisfying performance as this Wall Street con ended. Number 2: Arnie Grape The career-defining performance applauded by all, Leo's supporting role as Arnie Grape What's Eating Gilbert Grape? garnered him critical acclaim and accolades beyond mention. Portraying Johnny Depp's mentally challenged younger brother, DiCaprio brings forth a moving performance that is both respectful and authentic. Though some may've found him annoying at the beginning, everybody felt their heart shatter at the fate of Arnie's mother Bonnie and were compelled to view retardation in an entirely new light. Though he didn't win Oscar gold for this one, which is practically a crime, DiCaprio's tear-jerking performance stole the show. Honorable Mentions *Jack Dawson: Iconic character of DiCaprio, although certainly not his best *Howard Hughes: I haven't seen The Aviator; I may redo this list if I do *Frank Abagnale Jr.: Alongside Tom Hanks and Christopher Walke s. DiCaprio proves his worth alongside these Hollywood heavy hitters *Jay Gatsby: A decent performance in an otherwise horrible movie *J. Edgar Hoover: Same as above Number 1: Monsier Calvin J. Candie The main antagonist of Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, DiCaprio's sociopathic racist plantation owner takes the win as my favorite performance. The slaver shows just how far DiCaprio is willing to take his characters, from his hinted sexual relationship with his sister to his illiteracy to his racism, Candie is easily DiCaprio's darkest and greatest role. Hell, he's literally given blood for this role when he accidentally slammed his hand into a glass but continued the scene; after the shoot ended, a standing ovation was given for this actor's determination and ad-libbed dialogue.